10 Tell-Tale Signs You’re an American Traveling Abroad

When you imagine the stereotypical American tourist abroad, chances are it’s this familiar caricature: some nincompoop in a dorky button down, map in one hand, camera in the other and a fanny pack snuggly strapped to their hip. But don’t be fooled. There are plenty of other revealing signs that will let the locals know you bleed red, white and blue. So carefully review our tongue-in-cheek checklist, and do your best not to be that guy on your next international adventure. Photo: Getty Images/m-imagephotography

1. Your Shamelessly Casual Attire: Sure, the example in the intro may have been a bit of a hyperbole, but our clothes are usually a dead give-away. So what are the most common offenders? It can be a combination of fashion faux pas: the baggy sweatshirt, cargo shorts, baseball cap, flip-flops, etc. Of course, strolling through the streets of Paris calls for different attire than lounging on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, but try to blend in with locals by dressing similarly when you can. A quick Google search or browsing through Instagram’s geotags will point you in the right direction. Photo: Getty Images/Aaron Black

2. Your Die-Hard Fandom: Speaking of clothes, try your best to leave your University of Georgia tee shirt at home. Nobody cares that you’re a New York Mets fan, or that you went to the San Diego Zoo that one time. There’s no need to represent your favorite sports team, alma mater or last triathlon with your apparel. Totally fine when you’re hanging out at home or even in your hotel room, but don’t flaunt it around in public. And don’t even get us started on those hokey American flag sweatshirts from GAP. Photo: Getty Images/dolgachov

3. Your Lack of an Indoor Voice: Foreigners often joke that they can hear an American long before they can see them. Let’s face it–we’re a loud bunch. It doesn’t matter if we’re excited, surprised, angry or just having a nonchalant conversation. Not that it’s always a bad thing, but we need to learn to use our indoor voices and be conscious of our boisterous speaking volumes, because everyone else certainly is. Photo: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages

4. Your Constant Comparisons: Why do we travel? It’s fundamentally about discovering new things: cuisines, places, experiences, cultures, people and more. So, when we do venture to a far-flung destination, let’s try not to compare everything to the good ol’ US of A. Of course, if people you meet are curious about life in America, feel free to share away. But try not to go around critiquing or criticizing every detail, because that’s never a good look. Photo: Getty Images/Bernd Voge

5. Your Tendency to Over-Apologize: Sorry, but there’s no two ways about it. Americans love to apologize. We’ll let out a habitual “sorry!” when we bump into someone in line, need to step into an elevator, or even when we ask for a server’s attention! And while there’s nothing wrong with being polite or extending a sincere apology when one is warranted, we don’t need to over-apologize for everything. It’s just another noticeably American thing we do. Photo: Getty Images/Richard T. Nowitz

6. Your Need for the Wi-Fi Password: It doesn’t matter if it’s the hotel, a restaurant, museum, boutique–one of the first questions out of our mouths is probably, “Sorry, but do you have the Wi-Fi password?” As a social media addict, I get it. You have to share every update from your international travels with your family, friends and followers. But if you’re going to ask, don’t be so obvious about it. Bonus points if you can ask in their language. Photo: Getty Images/dolgachov

7. Your Face-Up Phone at Dinner: What’s worse, once we’re connected, we have a tendency to bury our faces in our social media feeds and forget to be present in that moment. It’s most apparent when dining out. A sure-fire way to identify a table of Americans? It will be that group of people sitting in silence, scrolling incessantly–or leaving their phones face-up on the table and whipping their heads toward their screens with every notification pop-up. Snap a photo of your food if you must, then put it away… Instagram can wait. Photo: Getty Images/Ridofranz

8. Your Slopping Drinking: You can blame it on a variety of factors: our higher-than-average legal drinking age, cheaper libations, or simply fully embracing vacation mode. But in many corners of the world, Americans have developed a reputation for not being able to hold our liquor as well as our global counterparts. Whatever the excuse, remember that nobody likes a sloppy tourist. Pace yourself and you’ll be just fine. Photo: Getty Images/Barry Lewis

9. Your Always-in-a-Rush Mentality: Speaking of vacation mode, remember to slow down every once and a while. This may be more common amongst city-dwellers, but many other cultures can quickly call out the American tourists because we always seem like we’re in a rush. We’re speed walking down alleyways and impatiently waiting for the check. Take a deep breath and appreciate that you’re off the clock wherever you’re lucky enough to be visiting. Photo: Getty Images/DGLimages

10. Your Friendly, Outgoing Personality: More so than any of the aforementioned clues, our most telling indicator is our unwavering, outgoing personalities. Many people say they can tell Americans because we’re almost unbelievably (even suspiciously) friendly. We’ll strike up conversations with strangers, smile at people passing by and happily demonstrate our can-do attitudes in many situations. And you know what? Let’s keep that one going. It’s better to be remembered for our positive disposition than those awful cargo shorts (seriously… burn those already). Photo: Getty Images/AntonioGuillem